My Writings (I hope!) reflect my Guiding Principles:
-'Enjoy Life to the Utmost but not at other people's expense'-'Think Global, Act Local'-'Variety is the Spice of Life'-'Use Technology & Wisdom to Make the World A Better Place for All God's Creatures'-'Do Not Accept Injustice No Matter Where You Find It'-'Laughter is the Best Medicine'

Dr. Sarah Knight: A Wonderful Advocate for Science Outreach in Galway

'Saving the Planet', Planting trees with her son Cian, Terryland Forest Park, 2013

A damper was put on my Christmas a few days
ago when my good friend and long time university colleague Dr. Sarah Knight
finished up as Outreach Officer at the Ryan Institute of NUI Galway. I will
miss her so much.

For Sarah was an inspiration and a positive role model for so
many of us involved in bringing science and technology into schools. By her
departure, our university has lost one of its greatest assets.

Sarah in Clontuskert National School, 2011

Sarah’s focus was in promoting marine,
environmental andenergyscience with an emphasis on the research being
undertaken in these areas by the Ryan Institute. Sarah took what are exciting
fields of science and amazingly made them even more exciting much to the
enjoyment and benefit of pupils in schools across Galway city and county.

Science Festival, Leisureland, Nov. 2009

With her happy persona, radiant smile, infectious
laughter and deep scientific knowledge she was always a big hit with children.

The range of hands-on projects that she
coordinated had a common denominator -the WOW factor! One of my favourites and probably
one of her finest creations was a large 3D tabletop model of Galway Bay that
wonderfully demonstrated how sea currents moved along the Galway coastline.

A smiling face in the crowd, 'Open Your Mind' research talk, NUI Galway

Sarah was a permanent fixture at a myriad of science festivals over so many
years including Baboro, the annual Galway Science and Technology Festival, school
tours of NUI Galway’s research centres, and the annual Ocean Day at theNational Aquarium of Ireland aka Atlantaquaria. Not surprisingly she was selected as a university
representative on the board of the Galway Science Forum (formerly known as the Galway
Science & Technology Festival).

Sarah with her fellow Outreach Officers, NUI Galway, January 2009

Within NUI Galway, she was part of the
organising committee of the pioneering Open Your Mind research competition and
later took on the role as chief coordinator of the Thesis-in-3challenge aka
Threesiswhere speakers had to present three slides in three minutes in front
of three judges.

But her greatest legacy amongst many legacies that she has
given to Galway science is the establishment of an interactive Sea ScienceExploration Zone at the Galway City Museum that she and museum official James Reynolds
spent many months planning, designing and securing funding for.

With James Reynolds at the Submarine exhibit, Sea Science Exploration Zone, Oct 2014

One of my most abiding memories of Sarah and what typified her 'gung-ho' and hands-on approach was
seeing her a few months ago decked out in rough clothing, sleeves rolled up, working away like
a beaver with hammer and nails as she putted the finishing touches to the Sea Science
exhibition just days before it was opened to the public.

Community Clean-Up, Terryland Forest Park, 2008

Yet Sarah’s interest in science extended
beyond her official duties. She was also an active community environmentalist,
participating in many seashore, park and forest cleanups, in tree plantings in Terryland
Forest Park, and getting involved in the successful 2008 community campaign to
stop a road being built through
Terryland Forest Park which garnered over 10,000 signatures.

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Lover of Nature, of Peoples & of Technology.Endeavour to 'Think Global, Act Local'.Believer in Liberation Theology.Proud to be Irish with a Rebel Heart.

"I view 'Technology' as a liberating force & a means of helping in saving the planet from man's catastrophic interference.

Lead mentor in Africa Code Week. 'Galway Science Person of the Year' Award 2006& 2012. 'Galway IT in the Community' Award 2014 (ITAG). Recipient of Galway Mayoral Award
for community projects. Co-founder of Coderdojo Galway City which won ITAG 'Technology in the Community Award' 2013. Curator & founding member of Computer & Communications Museum of Ireland. Presented also with a number of other Science &
Technology plaudits including Galway ITAG Information Technology Schools Award 2006.Former Holiday Village manager, pub owner & Music promoter.

The Irish

The great Gaels of IrelandAre the men that God made madFor all their wars are merry,And all their songs are sad-G.K. Chesterton, English writer

Wise Words

The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people. -Martin Luther King